Type-writing machine.



' E. e, LATTA; TYPE WRITING MACHINE APPLICATION FILED JUNE3. IBIS.

Patented 'Apr. 9, 1918.

3 SHEETS-SHEET E. G. LATTA.

' TYPE WRITING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 3. ma.

Patented Apr. 9, 1918.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2- mama.

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E. G. LATTA.

TYPE WRITING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED JUNE 3. I915.

Patented Apr. 9, 1918.

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31, or {surface on which it rests.

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new rank, assl'enon TO oeaenn- TYPEWRITER consent, mo-.,, a conronarioixr OF NEW YORK.

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foal wkomit 'may concern; Be it known that-.1, EMMIT G. 'LATTA, a citizen'g of the United States,;residing at in-the county of Onondaga and New.York-, have invented a new and useful ,Improvement in; TypeJVriting Machines, of whichthe following is a.speci ficatijon;

-..:'. .-..--.T,hi'sinvention relates to improvements in typewriting machines and has for its objects to. produce a key lever action fortypewriting machines that will producean accelerati ngzmotion in the type bars; that will be simpleand easy to operate; that has a uni- 15 form depression of the several, keys, and particularly one thatisadapted for use in machinesimwhich the type-bar segment is set very close to the base line of; the machine .Another special object'is toadapt the key lever system for use in a machine in whichth e type-bar segment'is shiftable' to enable-a plurality of type on each bar to print on ,the'same line. --The invention is herein shown as applied tea collapsible typewriting machine, such as disclosed in-my pending'application Serial No. 658,153, filed November 2, 1911, to which it is particularly adapted, and since the general construction of the two'machines may be alike, I have shownin the drawings in this application only such parts as are re- ,quire'd'to makethe invention clear. Infthe accompanying drawings:-

I (Figure 1 is a plan of the'ke'yboard and isegment, with one of the central type-bars iniplace, and showingthe'shift-frame and :front end of the two partcollapsible main frame v I. 1

longitudinal section on line 22, Fig. 1.'

lever to the t pe-ba-r. f

j Fig. 6 is aside elevation showing a modification. I A and B represent the two parts'of the collapsible main frame which-are pivotall-y "connected atthefront corners, as shown at a in section at the right in Fig. 1, and C is a Fig. 3 is atransverse section on line 33,

Ljects upwardly from the plate between its I Specification of Letters Patent. Patgntd Apr, 9, 1918, Application filed fune 3,1915. serial in); 31,873. I

shift frame pivotally connected to the frame B at 0" and 0 The pivots a a connecting the frame parts A B,- may beef any suitableconstruction, asthe frame is collapsed but seldom, but adjustable conepivots are preferably employed for the shift frame. Theshift frame is preferably of the. form shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 4. It comprises two side bars and rear end bar 0 with integral flat'cross bar 0,and the rigidly connected front cross bar 0 A roller D, shown in Fig. 1, is connected toa projection (l on are end of the shift frame, and the shift keys d actuate a pair of cams (not shown) which act on this roller to move the shift frame up and down from the position shown to changethe caseas desired. Any other suitable means may, however, be employed for shifting the shift frame.

Thetypmbar segment E is preferably slotted to receive the type-bars F, and a curved wire 6 shown serves as a pivot for thewhole series of type-bars. The segment can be secured to or formed with the shift frame in any suitable way. I

The key levers G G G are arranged in three banks or lengths of slightly different form, but all are of the same order, differing to adapt them to swing type-bars that and to equalize the dip of the keys. Fig. 2

shows the, three different forms used for all the key levers except a few, preferably four,

at each end of the keyboard. All the key levers have a rocking fulcrum'on the plate '0 ofthe shift frame, and the rocking part of-the levers differ slightly in length and curvature, as seen at g g'.g Fig. 2. The plate 0 of the shift frame, as shown, is planed off smooth and flat where the key leversreck on it, except that a rib H prolevers has a small opening 2', as shown in Fig. 2, through which a wire K passes. The

openings are only slightly larger than the wire and serve to prevent the levers from creeping, as those in the central partof the Z, owing keyboard would otherwise do. The openings i in the levers need only be large enough to permit the necessary vertical movement of the levers, which is slight at this point.

As shown in Fig. 1, the wire K does not project into the four key levers at each end of the keyboard, because those levers are held against endwise movement by being pivolally connected to bell crank levers which in turn are pivotally connected to the rear edge of the plate a of the shift frame. Each of the levers in the central part of the keyboard is connected at its rear end directly to one of the type-bars by a link Z, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, and a helical spring m connecting each key lever to the rear of a plate m acts to restore the key lever and the connected type-bar to normal position. Screws m passing through the front edge of the plate m into the plate 0* act to increase the tension of the whole series of springs m by rocking the plate m over the rear edge of the plate a.

The four key levers at each end 'of the keyboard are connected to their companion type-bars by means of the aforesaid bell crank sub-levers, as shown at N, Figs. 1, 3 and 5. The sub-levers N are preferably )ivotally mounted in a slotted part n proccting' rearwardly from the plate 0 of the shift frame, as shown in Figs. 1 and 5. ,For the key levers that actuate the sub-levers, return springs 12. are used, connected to a short plate 11, and acting on the links 11 to return the type-bars, sub-levers and connected key levers to normal position. as shown in Fig. 5. As shown in Fig. 3, about twelve type-bars at each side of the center of the segment are all that calrbe actuated properly by a direct link connection, like to the increasing angle of the radial planes that the type-bars move in, but by the use of hell crank sub-levers N with ,the links 11. connecting them to the type-bars, similar rocking key levers act on the. typebars with a pull instead of a push, as with the direct. link connection I described. p

By this means a vertical and substantially uniform action of the whole keyboard is secured.

By the central key levers directly it is possible to locate the type-bar segment very low down, as shown in Figs. 2. and 3, and the upward curve of-the ends of the segment permits the ends of the outer key levers and their sub-levers to project rearwardly under these end portions of the segment.

use of the links Z connecting the to their type-bars The upright links 1 connecting the cen-.

trally located type-bars directly to their key lovers are of graduated lengths to compensate for the curve of the segment, and

upper arms of the sub-levers are the key levers at the sides of the keyboard which are connected to the sub-levers are made with variable rocking surfaces similar to those seen in Fig. 2, to equalize the action of these levers which are of different lengths,

both as to their front and rear arms, as

shown in Fig. 1.

As shown in Fig. 1, the keyboard is considerably wider than the type-bar segment and the key levers converge from the front to the rear of the keyboard, and all but three of them, on straight lines. To avoid excessive divergence forwardly from the sub-levers the lower arms of the sub-levers are offset, as shown in Fig. 1, and their pivots are located in vertical planes about half way between the planes of the links n and rear ends of the key levers. The bent in-v wardly toward the center of the segment about as much as outwardly from the plane of their pivots. The rear ends of the key levers curve upwardly to make room for the.lower ends of the adjacent sub-levers to swing upward without interference, and a similar curve in the key levers in the central part of the keyboard makes room for the retracting springs m. I

The pivotal cennections between the key their lower arms are bent tion of the pivots permits such forwardmovment without objectionable sliding friction. The slots in the key levers, shown in Fig. 2, for the wire K could be curved for the same reason, but as the levers havin such slots have less inertia to overcomean require slightly less force to actuate them, it is not necessary to incur the extra expense of curving these slots. As shown, the two different connections between the key levers and type-bars require almost exactly the same force, and less than a three ounce weight on the key will throw any one of the type-bars to the printing point. The type-bars are of two different forms, as shown in Figs. 2 and 5. to adapt, them to the two ditierentforms of connecting links. The key levers pass through-the rib H on diagonal lines and the lever slots in the rib could be made on the same angles as the key levers, but to facilitate manufacture it is preferred to make the slots at right. angles to the rib. and wide enough for one end of one side of the side of its key the opposite side of the slot to guide the other side of the key lever. as indicated at the left in Fig. 1. This permits allof the slot to form a guide for one lever and the other end of having a mandrel with cutters of suitable widths.

It will be seen that the keyboard shifts with the segment and produces an acceleration of motion in'the type-bars by rocking key levers. By rocking the key levers on the chines in which the keyboarddoes not shift.

This permits thekey levers to extend farther to the rear. They rock on a fixed part of the main-frame and, like those previously described, produce an acceleration of motion in the type-bars, with a uniform movement of the keys.

While the key levers are shown as havin' curved edges rocking on a flat surface, this could be reversed, and the key levers made with straight edges to rock on a curved surface, or both parts may be curved, and the same result-produced.

I P represents a back stop-for the type-bars.

' This issupported by the front rod 0 of the shift frame to which it is connected by braces and 7). This back stop shifts with the shift frame, but it is so near the pivot that its movement is slight. Q, rep resents the comb that separates the key levers at their front ends, and R is a strip of felt which forms the back stop for the key levers.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a visible typewriting machine, the combination of a segment, a series of type bars ivotally held to said segment, a keyboard having key-operated levers, one for each type bar, links connecting the intermediate key-operated levers to certain of the type bars, and bell-crank levers connecting other and outer levers to other ty e bars.

2. In a typewriting machine, t e combination of a segment, a series of upwardly and rearwardly moving type bars pivotally held to said segment, a support, and a keyboard having key-operated levers provided with an extended rocking connection with said support, one for each type bar, links connecting the key-operated levers to certain of the type bars, and bell-crank levers connecting other levers to other type bars.

3. In a typewriting machine, the combination of a. series of type bars that swing upwardly and rearvvardly, a normally fixed fulcrum plate, and a series of key-operated levers operatively connected to the type bars, one for each type bar, having a rocking connection with-said fulcrum plate intermediate the ends thereof, and means for guiding and holding said levers at a point to adapt the key-operated levers to rock on opposite sides of said holding means, said holdin means comprising a slotted rib and a rod eld in said rib.

4. In a typewriting machine, the combination of a series of type bars, a fulcrum plate having a slotted rib crosswise thereof, a rod held to said rib, and a series of key-operated levers each having a slot through which the rod passes and guided in the slots of said rib, said key-operated leters having a curved lower edge adapted to rock directly upon the fulcrum plate, and means operatively connecting .the keyoperated levers to the type bars.

5'. In a typewriting machine, the combination of a series of ty e bars, a fulcrum plate having a slotted ri crosswise thereof, a rod held to said rib, and a series of keyoperated levers each having a slot through which the rod passes and guided in the slots of said rib, said key-operated levers having a. curved lower edge adapted to rock directly upon the fulcrum plate on opposite sides of said rod and rib, and means operatively connecting the key-operated leversto the type bars.

6. In a typewriting machine, the combination of a series of type bars, a segment to which the type bars are pivoted, a fulcrum of said levers to the type bars, bell-crank levers having vertically extending and horizontally arranged arms located at the ends of the keyboard and pivotally held at the rear edge of said fulcrum plate and connected to the end key-operated levers and their type bars, and means for holdingche key-operated levers against substantial creepmg actlon.

7. In a typewriting machine, the combination of a series of type bars, a segment to which the type bars are pivoted, a fulcrum plat e a keyboard comprising a number of ey-operated levers having a rocking connection directly with said plate and extends ing on both sides thereof, links connecting certain of said levers to the type bars, and bell-crank levers located at the ends of the, keyboard and pivotally held at the rear edge of said fulcrum plate and connected to the end key-operated levers and their type bars.

8. In a typewriting machine, the combination of an upwardly and rearward] swinging type-bar, a key lever extending forwardly and outwardly from a point adjacent to the pivoted end of the type-bar, a bell crank sub-lever having an upright arm operatively connected to the type-bar and a rear end of the l1, the intermediate which i moves with a contact.

9. In a typewriiing mas tion of an upwardly and 1 ing type-liar} a i wardl; from a the pimted end 0" sub-lever having an n i connected to the 5.;xpe an stantially horixoniai arni 'ill 'fitullji seen L" ed to the rear end of the km; 11 s fulcrum over which the e key lever mores with a low ing Contact.

10. In a typewritin' nation of an upwardly swinging type-her, key lei or wardly from a point s'uhstantially finder pivoted end of the type-bar, sub-lever having an upright radial plane of the type-bar and 0.- connected thereto and a suhstanine zontal arm pivotally connected to J end of the key lever, and a fulerun' key lever over which intermed l moves with longitudinally shifting tact.-

11. In a typewriting mach nation of an upwardly a? swinging type-hair, a key forvardly and outwardly tron t stantially under the pivoted end oil? bar, a bell crank sub-lever having; a tially horizontal arm ollset and the rear end of the key le' and an the COHtftCh in typewriting machine, the combia hi or? a series of upwardly and rearwardlv swinging type-bars, a series of key extending forwardly from points substantially under the pivoted ends of the typehars, a series of bell crank sub-levers of graduated lengths operatively connected to ti vim-d are and to the rear ends of the key le and a fulcrum over which the1nter mediate parts of the key levers move With a lmigitudinnly shifting contact.

13. la a typewriting machine, the combination of a series of upwardly and rearwardly swinging type-bars, a series of key levers extending forwardly from a point substantially under the pivoted ends of the type-bars, a fulcrum for the key levers over which their intermediate pars move with a longitudinally shifting contact, a series or hell crank sub-levers having .upwardly extending arms operatively connected to the typehars, and substantially horizontal arnis pivetally connected to the rear ends of the hey levers at points that swing u Wardly lcey lever moves with a longitudinally and forwardly as the key leversrock on their fulerurns.

W1 tness my hand this 1st day of June, 

